Morris Meister

Dr. Morris Meister (1895 - 1975) was a science educator and administrator who was the founder and first principal of the Bronx High School of Science as well as the first president of Bronx Community College.[4][1] He is noteworthy for his support and application of laboratory-based methods in science education as well as interdisciplinary study.

Morris Meister
Born(1895-10-20)October 20, 1895
Gonietz, Poland
DiedAugust 10, 1975(1975-08-10) (aged 79)
New York University Hospital, Manhattan
CitizenshipUS[1]
Occupation(s)educator, author
Known for
SpouseFlorence Suzi Glickstein Meister[2]
Children2, Anna Meister Burton, a psychoanalyst, and Alton Meister, noted bio-chemist
Academic background
EducationCity College of New York
Alma materTeachers College of Columbia University
ThesisThe Educational Value of Certain After-school Materials and Activities in Science (1921)
Academic work
InstitutionsBronx Community College, Bronx High School of Science, New York Hall of Science
Notable worksScience for a Better World series of textbooks
Notes

Early life and education

Morris Meister was born on October 20, 1895, in Gonietz, Poland to Harris Meister and Jennie (Kolovsky) Meister. The Meister family moved to Manhattan's Lower East Side when Morris was 7 years old.[1][3] He attended the City College of New York, where he became a member of Phi Beta Kappa. His doctoral thesis at the Teachers College of Columbia University in 1921, The Educational Value of Certain After-school Materials and Activities in Science, focused on the role of science related toys in science education.[5][3][6]

Meister married Florence Suzi Glickstein, a music teacher, in 1921.[1] They had two children, Anna Meister Burton, a psychoanalyst, and Alton Meister, a noted biochemist.[2]

Career

Morris Meister worked as a science teacher in a number of schools in New York City including Stuyvesant High School (1916), The Speyer School (1916-1918), Horace Mann School (1917-1922). He was instrumental in the creation of science fairs while working as a committee head of the American Institute of the City of New York in the 1932s.[5] He served as the second president of the National Science Teachers Association.[7][3] Meiseter wrote a series of science textbooks called Science for a Better World.[3] Meister was the founding principal of the Bronx High School of Science from 1938 to 1958.[3] He was the founding president of the Bronx Community College from 1959 to 1966.[8] After retirement he worked as the director of planning at the New York Hall of Science, in Corona, Queens. .[3][9][10]

Legacy

Meister Auditorium, the Auditorium of the Bronx High School of Science, is named after Dr. Meister. His portrait is displayed at its doors.

Meister Hall, a building on the campus of Bronx Community College, is named after Dr. Meister.

References
  1. "Morris Meister". Science Education. 50 (5): 401–406. December 1966. Bibcode:1966SciEd..50..401.. doi:10.1002/sce.3730500502. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  2. "Mrs. Morris Meister". The New York Times. 12 March 1974. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  3. Thomas, Robert McG. Jr. (11 August 1975). "Dr. Morris Meister, Founder Of High School of Science, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  4. Bronx Community College (17 September 2006). "History & Architecture". Bronx Community College. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  5. Grinnell, Frederick (26 May 2020). "Reinventing Science Fairs | Issues in Science and Technology". Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  6. Meister, Morris. "The Educational Value of Certain After-school Materials and Activities in ... : Morris Meister : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming". Internet Archive. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  7. "Morris Meister: portrait of a science educator". The Science Teacher. 43 (2): 43. 1976. JSTOR 24127703. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  8. "History of the College". Bronx Community College. 17 September 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-02-07. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  9. "Current Science: November 2, 1966". NYSCI. 18 April 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  10. Meister, Morris (December 1966). "A college program for the disadvantaged". Science Education. 50 (5): 406–408. Bibcode:1966SciEd..50..406M. doi:10.1002/sce.3730500503. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
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